Strange and Obscure Stories of the Civil War is an entertaining look at the Civil War stories that don’t get told; and the misadventures you haven’t read about in history books. Share in all the humorous and strange events that took place behind the scenes of some of the most famous Civil War moments. Picture a pedestal in a public park with no statue on top; Rowland’s book explains that when the members of the New York Monument Commission went to hire a sculptor to finish the statue; they were shocked to discover that there was no money left in the agency’s accounts to pay for the project. The money for the statue of Dan Sickles had been stolen—stolen by former monument committee chairman Dan Sickles! Brig. Gen. Philip Kearny was the son of a New York tycoon who had helped found the New York Stock Exchange; and who groomed his boy to be a force on Wall Street. The younger Kearny decided his call was to be a force on the field of battle; so despite a law degree and an inheritance of better than $1 million; he joined the U.S. Army and studied cavalry tactics in France. His dashing figure in the saddle earned him the name of Kearny the Magnificent; probably because Kearny rode with a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other while holding the horse’s reins in his teeth. This habit proved useful after he lost his left arm in the Mexican War; because he was able to continue to wave his sword with all the menace to which he was accustomed while still guiding his horse.
#1240659 in Books 2011-11-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 11.00 x 1.10 x 8.90l; 2.20 #File Name: 1612510108256 pages
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. US Polar Submarine Airship ExplorationBy W. James D. EastonAt the time when the US had both nuclear submarines and Navy airships; it was decided to mount parallel expeditions to the Arctic. This was a time when the Soviet Union was also mounting significant efforts there.This book is exhaustively researched; covering almost every aspect of these two US Navy efforts; with emphasis on the airship operation. Politics. Personnel. Weather. Track. Logistics.That being said; the overall effect is somewhat paradoxical in that the effect of all the detail and information included is to leave the reader somewhat stunned; while; on the other hand putting one in absolute awe of what was done by the Umberto Nobile flights using enormously fewer resources and much more primitive equipment.If one wants information relating to this particular USN effort; the book is a great resource. If one wants to read about truly heroic arctic airship adventure; read Nobile.
